On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins embarrassed themselves—and, apparently, their boss.

Mario Lemieux was disappointed with his club's overall lack of discipline and "embarrassed" specifically by the actions of Arron Asham and James Neal in their 8-4 Game 3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, reports the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, citing sources close to the Penguins' majority co-owner.

Asham crosschecked Flyers forward Brayden Schenn in the upper body, then jumped a defenseless Schenn, connected with a vicious right and was ejected. Neal flattened Sean Couturier in the waning minutes and sent the Flyers rookie center to the locker room. Neal also targeted Giroux with an elbow to the head. Both Asham and Neal have disciplinary hearings on Tuesday and are likely to be suspended.

Lemieux, who rarely grants interviews, declined comment.

Pittsburgh, a pre-playoffs favorite to win the Stanley Cup, is down 3-0 in the series. Game 4 is in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Lemieux is in a particularly tough position because of a statement he issued in the wake of another disciplinary disaster, a February 2011 game against the New York Islanders. In that game, though, the Penguins were the initial targets.

"Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be. But what happened Friday night on Long Island wasn't hockey. It was a travesty," Lemieux said. "It was painful to watch the game I love turn into a sideshow like that."

The NHL suspended then-Islanders forwards Trevor Gillies for nine games and Matt Martin for four and hit the team with a $100,000 fine, saying the franchise "must bear some responsibility for their failure to control their players."

Lemieux, who bought the Penguins out of bankruptcy in 1999 and ended his own Hall of Fame playing career during the 2005-06 season, said those sanctions weren't nearly enough.

"The NHL had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport. It failed," he said. "We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players. We must make it clear that those kinds of actions will not be tolerated and will be met with meaningful disciplinary action.

"If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to rethink whether I want to be a part of it."